BSDA and the Mekong Kampuchea Kids Project

SummaryThe Mekong Kampuchea Kids project (MKK) is currently one of the biggest and most successful projects of the BSDA. It focuses on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the Mekong area. Not only do these kids face poverty, abuse, trafficking and stigmatization, but are also in danger of losing their slim chance of a better future due to lack of education. The situation is even worse for girls, as they face the additional danger of being forced to work as prostitutes and are even less likely to receive any education than male OVC’s. BSDA thus decided to supply these kids with private English and Computer classes while also supplying them with scholarships to finance the expenses of Cambodia’s public school system. In addition, many OVC’s are enrolled in BSDA’s vocational training classes where they are taught culinary arts, weaving, sewing or traditional Apsara dancing. The later group practices at Wat Nokor and visitors are always welcome.

Background

BSDA currently works in 6 districts in Kampong Cham province. While many activities are in place, the most vulnerable groups still aren’t supported sufficiently. The objective of the MKK project is to help the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) living in the communes of Ampil, Sambo Meas and Bangkok in Kampong Siem and Kampong Cham district, Kampong Cham province Cambodia. There are various NGO’s working in this area, but these organizations mostly focus on food security and health infrastructure. These organizations have worked with OVCs, but only to supply food and resources. Few focus on education or on providing life skills to ensure that the children can eventually earn an income for themselves. They similarly do not focus on promoting children’s confidence and self-worth. The aim of the Mekong Kampuchea Kids project is to fill this gap and provide our target group with lasting and comprehensive support.

Problem Statement

The local context: Many children in this area are orphans living in already poor communities. Orphaned children are forced to rely on erratic support from the community, which leaves them vulnerable and often without the possibility of an education, whether formal or informal. Some of the villagers in the target area don’t own lands to live on to grow plants or vegetables, many are jobless, and there are often many children in one family. The majority of people in these communities have never been to school. They cannot afford for their children to go to school because they need them to work to get money for food. The men usually try to find work as workmen along the Mekong River. The women work at home and some of them find work cleaning homes of rich families. The children go to collect cans and plastic in the street. Community members are in poor health because the living standards in the community are at an extremely low level due to poor sanitation, malnutrition and bad hygiene.

Vulnerability of girls: Girls are particularly vulnerable. After growing up in poor families and without proper education, many are forced to work as sex-workers, regardless of the threat of HIV/AIDS. The children’s lives have been changed by the HIV/AIDS issue completely because many have inherited HIV from their parent and, being orphan children with HIV, they face discrimination and stigma. No one cares for them and the quality of their life and equal rights are lost, which leads to a negative life prospect.

Lack of support: The target group does not or not sufficiently benefit from neither governmental nor non-governmental support.

Target group:

The target group of the project are 300 orphans and vulnerable Children of whom some live on the street, and 415 adults/teenager.

Beneficiaries have not been consulted in a formal way. In informal sessions with the BSDA they have shared their problems and concerns with the monks and staff. BSDA staffs have a strong understanding of the issues and problems facing the target group, especially those who have participated in BSDA activities in the previous years. The program has been designed with their specific situation in mind.

Objectives:

The aim is to help OVC integrate back into the mainstream of Cambodian society and become functioning, participating members in the community. The main objectives thus are:

To provide employable skills the to target group

To enable them to go to school

To help them find an occupation when they have finished their training

Project Description:

Component 1: Life skills for orphans and vulnerable children:

Computer and English language class: It is very important that all the children have an English class. Two German volunteers from the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) have volunteered to be English teachers. There are three English classes every day. The first class is in the center is conducted every morning and afternoon. A second class is conducted at the Smile restaurant around noon. The Computer class is held daily and teaches Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Access Level I&II and Microsoft Adobe Photoshop. The Computer class is designed to be an additional class open to all interested participants of the MKK. Both classes will feature health education awareness raising.

Sewing training: The target group of the sewing class are orphaned and vulnerable youth between 15 and 25 years old who have stopped going to school. The aim of the program is to enable the participants to open their own business after completing training in order to secure their future. Participants in the sewing training will be asked to make clothes for the OVC scholarship.

Culinary class: The culinary skills taught in this class are not just for daily home use but for professional work. The culinary class will be conducted at Smile Restaurant. The students won’t just not learn to cook but also learn how to work in a restaurant context. The culinary class teaches Khmer as well as international cuisine. The OVC who finish their training will be assisted in seeking employment by a project’s officer. This officer will mediate with hotels, restaurants, companies, NGOs and any interested individuals to give these students a specific job, employing the skills they have learned during their time in the project.

Traditional dancing class: Creative expression in the community is restricted by a history that weighs heavily on the present. With over half the population now younger than 18, encouraging it’s revival among children is vital. An expressive art is something children can be touch, changed and healed by; but those who need it most are the children without access to basic education. On a regular basis there will be a performance by the OVC dancers. Occasionally OVC performers will perform outside the Art Center, according to requests from organizations or individuals.

Art of weaving class: The class will be provided in the new vocational training center. The target group consists of orphans and vulnerable children that have stopped to go to school. The finished scarfs will be sold abroad, with a focus on the Japanese market. Because the funding for this project is not yet permanent; we have a limited amount of time to make it sustainable, an issue that is of high importance to the program.

Component 2: Scholarships for OVC:

This component of the project is intended to integrate the OVC into the public education system. Many problems, already mentioned have a negative impact on the education of OVC. Most community members don’t think of their family or children’s future. They think of only one thing- how to get enough money to buy food and support their family through the next day. Not going to school makes OVC vulnerable as they do not learn valuable knowledge and skills, forcing them into a future of continuing poverty. Officially public schools in the whole of Cambodia are free of charge, but families need to pay for uniforms, books, papers, pens and exam fees. Some OVC already have to cope with losing their parent through HIV/AIDS. Some of them live with their grandparents or relatives. These families find it impossible to support them with such basics as daily food supplies, clothes and health services and most certainly can not pay for the luxury of an education: study materials, transportation to school and school uniforms. For girls, the situation is worse. When families have to choose, they tend to prefer sending boys to school. There is also the possibility of sending the boys to live and study at the local pagoda. The BSDA has seen how provision of scholarships (pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, books, bag, uniform, educational fees, and in some cases supply of a bicycle and/or food supplies) can help to solve some of their problems. The MKK aims to distribute scholarships only to the poorest of the poor. By now, a total of 80 children are provided with the scholarship. The program provides scholarship support in both primary and secondary school. Students are given the opportunity to repeat once, but if this is due to poor attendance the scholarship is revoked.

Component 3: Produce food security and livelihood:

The children interested as well as those living at the orphanage are trained in the following areas in order to ensure their food security after their enrollment in the projects ends. These activities also provide ingredients for the cooking class and, subsequently, food for the kids.

Chicken raising: The staff teaches the students how to take care of, feed, medically treat and house different chicken varieties.

Vegetable cultivation: The project staff supports the children in cultivating various vegetables, both of the common and the cash crop variation. Special emphasis is on using organic cultivation methods such as homemade fertilizer and sustainable pest control. Any extra vegetable production will be sold to the market. Any income received will go towards supporting the OVC’s living at the center.

Fish rising: A pond is located near the orphanage were fish are held, fed and eventually captured.

Since the historical are around the Wat Nokor temple is not available for further buildings, the BSDA has acquired nearby rice fields and build a new building complex, consisting of two living buildings, one building used for schooling, a kitchen and a barn for the chicken raising. An additional building will be constructed during 2011. The development of this complex is another important aim of the project.

Implications on women

The project in general aims to support all OVCs, but realizes from the start that girls suffer more than their male counterparts. Thus, the MKK will rather enroll girls than boys while on the other hand maintaining a sensible gender relation in the mixed classes.

Staff for the project will be selected on personal qualities. When women have equal skills, the project will ensure gender balance. In the life skills program many trainers are be women. Especially because the BSDA was founded and is led by male monks, gender balance is important when new staff is recruited.

Implications on the environment

In a very small way the project will work to improve the conditions of the land by promoting a sustainable way of growing vegetables, not exhausting but enriching the land. In addition, the OVC’s are taught basic environmental concepts in their classes.

Currently there is an excessive population pressure present: due to forced land sales, there is in-migration of the target group from their old homes to the provincial capital. The project does not directly address the issues of migration, but tries to help the displaced by enrolling them and teaching them to develop their new land in a sustainable way.

Poverty reductions

All beneficiaries are very poor or at serious risk of becoming so. The project has four main components addressing poverty, illiteracy reduction, food security and livelihood. OVC’s who come from poor families are provided with education and vocational training as a first step in breaking the cycle of poverty. Community members close to the OVC’s have the opportunity to participate in the life skills and food security component. By learning a skill, having work immersion activities and constant feedback the OVC’s are have the perspective of earning their own income.

Religous dimensions

Buddhism is the main religion in Cambodia. Due to its prevalence, people respect monks (and therefore the BSDA) and accept their advice. They also turn to the monks when they do not have enough food and when they are worried. Counseling, blessing and advice are sought. When money is available, the monk’s blessing is still considered to bring good luck for a project. The BSDA staffs have been trained in culturally appropriate ways of helping OVCs in the area. Links with resource persons in the community are short and many people are happy to contribute, voluntarily/financially to a project run by monks. Although Kampong Cham has a large Cham population, a minority that is mostly Islamic, tension between BSDA staff members and ethnic Cham are not observable.

Sustainability:The project is only possible because of outside funding. If this was to end, only a small part of the program could be maintained with the profits made by the Smile Restaurant.